The present invention relates to a nail nutrient applicator kit which is characterized by the ability to apply liquid nail nutrient to a pad and adhesive tape applicator prior to affixing the triangular applicator onto a fingernail or toenail area. The applicator is removably attached to a mounting sheet which has a hole therein to permit application of a liquid nail and cuticle nutrient solution onto the underlying applicator. The mounting sheet is ten removed and the applicator is placed on the finger or toe.
In general, it has been found that many persons suffer from thin, delicate nails and rough, splitting cuticles which are in need of treatment to strengthen and beautify the nails, as well as to soften and control skin texture in the cuticle area. A prolonged topical application of a liquid nail and cuticle nutrient would penetrate and nourish the nail root area and in turn produce a strong nail outgrowth. Simultaneously, such application would soften the nail cuticle in the area closely adjacent to the hard nail to eliminate the tearing and abrasion of that skin. A continuous application of such nutrient over a period of from two to ten hours is necessary to insure therapeutic treatment to the area. Due to the time period required for nutrient application and the normal activities of the fingers and the toes, a protective applicator is necessary which will insure sufficient liquid availability and prolonged exposure for penetration of the nutrient.
It is accordingly one object of the present invention to provide a protective applicator which conforms to the particular dimensions of the nail region of a finger or toe. Conventional, rectangular bandages do not adequately conform to these nail areas resulting in bandage slippage and entry of foreign material underneath the bandage. A further difficulty of such conventional bandage products is their tendency to crumple near the fingertip or toetip. Yet another problem with such conventional bandage shapes is the susceptibility of the bandage to be pulled away from the finger or toe when caught or brushed against another object. Further disadvantages of conventional bandage-type applicators involve reduction of dexterity of the fingers and toes, impairment of the sense of touch to the pads of the fingers and toes, and general unsightliness of the bandages.
Several means have previously been employed for applying protective coverings and bandages to tip and nail areas of fingers and toes. One method of bandaging is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,431,203 issued on Nov. 18, 1947, to R. H. Sebastian. The Sebastian bandage is designed to cover the entire tip of the finger and comprises basically a bandage with a pair of side adhesive panels which can be folded over and around a finger to hold the bandage in place. The Sebastian bandage is cross-shaped. The bandage also has holes in the adhesive covering to act as vents near the tip of the finger.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,563,689 issued on Aug. 7, 1951, to F. Muhlhauser, a protective fingernail covering is disclosed. The Muhlhauser patent has an anchor-type shape and does not have any holes. Neither the Sebastian or the Mulhauser patents disclose any mechanism for applying a liquid to the bandage either before or after placement on the finger area.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,464,408 issued on Sept. 2, 1969, to R. G. Hamlin discloses a special form of triangular bandage designed for relieving ingrown toenails. The Hamlin bandage is quite different from the present invention. Although medication can be applied with the Hamlin bandage, it is applied to the tissue area underneath the nail rather than to the nail or cuticle regions as in the present invention. This Hamlin toenail bandage does not contain any holes through which any medicine or nutrients could be applied. Rather, the medicine is pre-applied to a small portion of the bandage designed for placement beneath the corners of the forward part of the toenail. Such a bandage is not designed to protect the area around the base, or cuticle, of the toenail or any top portion of the toenail itself. The Hamlin bandage, as disclosed, may also require further protective coverings and bandages around the entire toe to be securely fastened.
Other patents disclose bandages with holes in the bandage. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,807,262 issued on Sept. 24, 1957 to R. B. Lew, a plastic adhesive-type bandage is shown which has holes in the center portion of the adhesive material so that medication can be applied through the bandage to a wound. The Lew bandage is different from the present invention because there are no holes in the adhesive material in the latter. Furthermore, the Lew invention does not disclose a hole through a removable backing material to permit the bandage to be saturated before it is applied.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,212,495 issued on Oct. 19, 1965, to R. A. Osbourn, et al., a bandage-like test patch is disclosed. The Osbourn test patch construction has an adhesive backing material, an absorbent material, and a cover sheet with an opening therein. The pad can be saturated with liquid material through the opening and the entire patch is then applied to the skin to see whether the liquid material will irritate the skin. The Osbourn test patches come with a removable cover strip which protects the patches prior to use. However, there are no openings through the cover strips which allow insertion of any liquid. Therefore, the cover strips must be completely removed before using the test patches.
In the Osbourn patent, the cover sheet with a hole in it remains in place during use. The purpose of that hole is to limit the size of exposure and possible allergic reaction of the patch wearer to the allergen contained within the test patch. In the present invention, the mounting sheet is removed and discarded prior to attachment of the applicator pad. Moreover, the purpose of the hole in the mounting sheet of the present invention is to allow sufficient liquid to be dispersed for saturation throughout all of the applicator pad rather than to restrict the wearer's exposure to merely the size of the hole. Therefore, once the mounting sheet is removed, the area of exposure of the present invention is actually much larger than the size of the hole through which the nutrients were placed onto the applicator.